Turner thesis main points

Also, the frontier has become a mythical time and place, to the point where it is difficult to distinguish history from myth this last section will hopefully provide the e1691 p897 a collection of essays, by major frontier scholars, debating turner's thesis and its impact on twentieth-century america turner, frederick jackson. Since frederick jackson turner elaborated his well-know “frontier thesis” over a century ago (turner 1894), the idea of the frontier has acquired a number of ideological implications in the historiography about the united has made territorial expansion one of its main characteristics over the centuries yet, even along this. In the first half of the twentieth century, virtually all the major figures in the field echoed and elaborated at least part of turner's argument ray allen billington's westward expansion (1949) was for decades the standard textbook in the field his skillful revision of the turner thesis kept the idea of what he called the westward. Instead, limerick highlights their persistence through the twentieth century she goes on to discuss the hispanic borderlands as a constantly shifting site of interactions between competing groups and one that perhaps most comprehensively undermines jackson's frontier thesis in addition, limerick points to the presence of. One such historian who felt that turner's ideas were important and influential was richard white, author of the essay when frederick jackson turner and buffalo bill cody both played chicago, 1893 he began his essay by describing the consequential circumstances that surrounded turner's presentation of his frontier.

But considered together as series, particularly when animated, they very effectively evoke turner's account of american history more than that, it seems almost certain that turner's argument was the inspiration for this series turner argued that the disposition of public lands was one of the key points of. Turner's frontier thesis helped him become a professor at harvard, the president of the american historical association, and the leading trainer of at least a so long as free land exists, the opportunity for a competency exists, and economic power secures political power, turner wrote, in another important. The frontier thesis' that thesis is by now so familiar that even to summa- rize it is to engage in ritual its central claim is contained in a sentence which many of us have nearly memorized: the existence of an area of free land, its turner theory, new england quarterly, 15 (june 1942), 224-55, makes these points about. The emergence of western history as an important field of scholarship can best be traced to the famous paper frederick jackson turner delivered at a meeting of the american historical association in 1893 it was entitled the significance of the frontier in american history the turner thesis or frontier thesis, as his.

Because his audience consisted of fellow historians, turner could assume that they understood what he was talking about and he left many things unexplained read the following excerpts from turner's speech with these questions in mind: what are turner's main points why does turner think the frontier played such an. This perennial, this fluidity of american life, this expansion westward-with its few opportunities, its continuous touch with the simplicity of primitive society, furnish the forces dominating american character the true point of view in the history of this nation is not the atlantic coast, it is the great west p 76 the frontier is the line.

The basic premise of turner's frontier thesis revolved around access to free land, which he believed explained us development (broadly conceived) in a later 1910 essay, he writes, “two the main points on il/legality and vigilantism are on pages 33, 47, and 65 along with this theme of illegality and. Frontier thesis the emergence of western history as an important field of scholarship can best be traced to the famous paper frederick jackson turner delivered at a it had also continually renewed american ideas of democracy and individualism and had, therefore, shaped not just the west but the nation as a whole. His first major book, rise of the new west, 1819-1829 (1906), was followed by a volume of essays, the frontier in american history (1920) these volumes provided a wide audience for his ideas turner moved to harvard university in 1910 and retired in 1924 to southern california, where he continued his investigations.

He made a number of important points, including the need to publish articles focusing on the subject of the native american moved by these and other i maintain that the turner thesis has little if any value for native american historians, especially those who write tribal history like other critics, primarily. Frederick jackson turner remains one of the most influential historians of america's past, and his famous frontier thesis is related to the above idea, in that his basic idea turner's conclusion, that the most important effect of the frontier was to promote individualistic democracy, has been both criticized and incorporated into. The frontier thesis or turner thesis, is the argument advanced by historian frederick jackson turner in 1893 that american democracy was formed by the american frontier he stressed the process—the moving frontier line—and the impact it had on pioneers going through the process he also stressed results especially.